"I Just Vacuumed!"

It’s all in how you look at every day messes. With three kids, a cat, and a husband, my house requires daily vacuuming. My OCD allows me to accomplish this task just about every day…sometimes multiple times a day. However, with kids, you have to learn to let certain things slide. I have finally learned to accept that my house will not be perfect, and if I somehow accomplish this seemingly unattainable goal, it won’t last long. And to keep my sanity, I’ve learned to laugh at circumstances that might normally cause me to break down and cry (like walking into the hallway to find our blanket in a crumpled heap topped with a pound of baby powder).

Case in point; the messes that Amelia can cause in a short amount of time when one of us lets our guard down for a single minute. This minute, this time, would be John’s doing. He got into the cupboard and did not zip tie the child lock back into place allowing Amelia to gain access to every snack and boxed food available. She picked a certain chocolaty cereal. “Well, at least she’s eating!” I say to myself. Unfortunately, Amelia is no longer my only Destroyer now. Esme grabbed the box, turned it upside down, and chewed on the bottom. Little brown balls spilled out around her. I grabbed the box and put it up out of reach and began the task of cleaning up. Esme began the task of half eating several little chocolate puffs before spitting them back out leaving wonderful little brown spots all over my carpet. As I picked these up I thought, sarcastically, “Good thing I just vacuumed!” And then I thought….it IS a good thing I just vacuumed! There is nothing offensive or foreign on my carpet. My Dyson’s sucking power has made sure there isn’t as much as a stray carpet fiber to stick to anything it shouldn’t. I was able to push the puffs into a nice little pile (that Esme quickly sat on) and stick them back into the cereal box without guilt.

No harm, no foul, and no wasted food/money. :D